Electric igniter



July 10, 1956 J. E. FLEURY ELECTRIC IGNITER Filed NOV. 24, 1954 INVENTOR. JACK E. FLEURY HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,753,930 ELECTRIC IGNITER Jack E. Flenry, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Detroit Controls Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application November 24, 1954, Serial No. 470,973

6 Claims. (Cl. 158-123) This invention relates to an electric igniter and more particularly to an electric igniter unit operable to ignite a gas burner.

An object of this invention is to provide an electric igniter unit that is operable to be constructed as an independent part of a fuel burning device, and so constructed to be applicable to existing main or pilot burners without alteration of their present construction and provide an electric igniter unit as an optional device for a gaseous fuel burning system.

Another object of this invention is to provide an electric igniter unit that is easily positioned on and secured to a main or pilot burner, and easily removed therefrom.

Another object of this invention is to provide an electric igniter unit which is cheap and simple to manufacture, easily assembled from its component parts, and is of durable construction.

The invention consists in the improved construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter, and the novelty of which will be particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, to be taken as part of this specification, I have fully and clearly illustrated my invention in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of an electric igniter unit secured to a pilot burner embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of an electric igniter unit secured to a pilot burner,

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view unit with the lower broken away,

Fig. 4 is a view in cross section taken along the line 4-4 in Fig. 2 with a portion of the thermocouple housing broken away.

In the drawings, numeral 1 generally designates a pilot burner having a D-shaped mounting bracket 2 with a top wall 3, a bottom wall 4, and a pair of side walls 5 and 6.

of the electric igniter portion of the thermocouple housing The top and bottom walls 3 and 4 have aligned apertures for receiving a cylindrically shaped pilot burner housing 7. The burner housing 7 has an aperture 8 adjacent its top portion which serves as a gas outlet orifice. A thermocouple housing 9 extends through another pair of aligned apertures in the bracket top. and bottom walls with its longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the burner housing 7. The thermocouple housing 9 is spaced from the pilot burner housing 7 and is aligned with the burner aperture 8 so that the thermocouple 9 will be heated when there is flame present at the gas outlet aperture 8, thus indicating the presence or absence of flame. The pilot burner 1 is so constructed that it may be secured by the side wall 5 to a main burner wherein the pilot burner will be used as a source of flame to ignite the main burner. Although the pilot burner 1 has been described in detail, it is to be understood that the electric igniter which comprises my invention may be adapted to be used with fuel burners of other constructions, and it is not intended to limit its use to the heretofore described pilot burner.

The electric igniter unit 10 is positioned in operative relation with the pilot burner 1 and is operable to furnish a source of ignition for the gas leaving the pilot burner aperture 8. The electric igniter unit 10 may be connected in the ignition control system in various ways to furnish an automatic source of ignition for the pilot burner, or it can also be independent of the ignition control system and operable to be energized manually when the source of fuel to the pilot burner has been manually turned on.

The electric igniter unit 10 comprises an insulator 11 of ceramic material that is a non-conductor of electricity. The insulator 11 is of block like construction and has a top wall 12, a bottom wall 13, side walls 14 and 15, and front and rear walls 16 and 17. The side walls 14 and 15 have securing portions 18 and 19 extending outwardly therefrom. The securing portions 18 and 19 are similar in construction and like numerals will designate like parts. The securing portions 18 and 19 have recesses or channels in their top and bottom walls which are indicated by the numerals 20 and 21 and are adjacent to the insulator side walls 14 and 15. The insulator front wall 16 is curved and conforms in shape to the outer shape of the pilot burner housing 7. The insulator 11 has a bore 22 therethrough with its longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the front and rear walls 16 and 17. The bore 22 has a shoulder portion 23 therein which reduces its size adjacent to the insulator top wall 12 and provides a stop for the enlarged portion of the thermocouple housing 9 when it extends through the bore 22. The insulator 11 has a second bore 24 therethrough adjacent its rear wall 17 for receiving a bolt member 37. A pair of metallic conductor plates 25 and 26 are also similar in construction and each has a slot 27 therethrough which is ofiset toward the lower portion of the plate to provide a weakened bottom edge 28. The peripheral dimensions of the slot 27 is slightly larger than the marginal dimension of the insulator securing portions 18 and 19 which are constructed to extend through the respective slots 27. Recessed portions 29 and 30 which extend longitudinally from the side edges of the slot 27 permit the weakened bottom edge 28 to be easily bent upwardly to decrease dimension of the solt 27. The plates 25 and 26 have upwardly extending finger portions 31 adjacent their front edge which function as connecting portions for the electric igniter coil 32. The plates 25 and 26 also have downwardly extending fingers 33 which function as connecting portions for the conduits 34 and 35. The electric igniter unit 10 has an L-shaped clip member 36 secured to the bottom wall 13 of the insulator 11 by means of a bolt 37 extending through the bore 24 and a nut 38 threadedly secured thereto. Since the clip 36 is secured to the insulator 11, it does not come in contact with the plate members 25 and 26 and hence is electrically insulated from the plates 25 and 26.

In assembling the electric igniter unit 10, the plate members 25 and 26 are positioned in parallel spaced relation to each other with the insulator 11 therebetween. The insulator securing portions 18 and 19 extend through the respective plate slots 27 with the inner surface of the plates 25 and 26 abutting the insulator side walls 14 and 15. In order to rigidly secure plates 25 and 26 to the insulator 11, the lower weakened edge 28 is bent upwardly adjacent the slot recessed portions 29 and 30 as by peening or the like. This bending of the lower edge portion 28 decreases the vertical dimension of the slot 27 so that the plates 25 and 26 are seated in the insulator securing portion recesses 20 and 21. Also, by bending the weakened bottom edge 28 upwardly, as indicated, portions of the bottom edge are bent around the insulator securing portions 18 and 19, thus securing the metalli'c plate'm'efnb'e'rs to the ceramic insulator with'outthe use of bolts or the like. The igniter coil 32 is secured to :the plate finger portions 31 and is a conventional igniter operable to heat to incandescence when "electric current passes therethrough.

It will be noted from the foregoing that the electric ig'nite'r unit is an independent unit and may be furnished as optional equipment with the pilot burner. In order to install the electric igniter unit 10 inoperative relation with the 'pilot burner 1, the insulator block 11 is positioned with the thermocouple housing extending through the bore 22, and the thermocouple housing enlarged portion abuts the bore shoulder portion 23. The insulator front wall 16 is positioned in abutting relation with the pilot burner housing 7, and the insulator bottom wall 13 rests on the pilot burner bracket top wall 3. Due to the shape of the insulator front wall 16 and the shape of the pilot burner housing 7, the igniter unit 10 is restrained from rotative movement in a horizontal direction about the thermocouple housing 9. It should be noted that that the plate members 25 and 26 are insulated from the pilot burner 1 by the insulator block 11. The clip member 36 extends around the pilot burner bracket side wall 6 and bottom wall 4 to secure the electrical igniter it) to the pilot burner 1. The clip member 3'6 is also insulated from the plate members 25 and 26 by means'of the insulator 11. To remove the electric igniter unit 10 from the pilot burner 1, the clip member 36 is disengaged from the pilot burner bracket side wall 6 and bottom wall '4, and the electric igniter unit 10 is moved upwardly until the thermocouple housing 9 is free of the bore 22.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An electric igniter comprising a pair of conductor plates each having a slot therethrough, an insulator having walls with securing portions extending therefrom, said conductor "plates positioned in spaced relation to each other with said insulator therebetween, said insulator wall securingportions extending through said conductor plate slots, means to deform and secure said conductor plates to said wall securing portions, an igniter coil connected to said conductor plates, and electrical conduits connected to each of said conductor plates and operable to energize said igniter coil through said conductor plates.

\ '2. An electric igniter comprising a pair of conductor plates each having a slot therethrough, an insulator having side walls with securing portions extending therefrom, said securing portions each having a recessed portion adjacent to said insulator side wall, said conductor plates positioned in spaced relation to each other with said insulator therebetween, said insulator side wall securing portions extending through said conductor plate slots, portions of said conductor plates adjacent said slotsbeing bent extend into said recessedportion thereby securing said conductor plates to said insulator securing portions, an igniter coil connected to said conductor plates, and electrical conduits connected to each of said conductor plates and operable to energize said igniter coil through said conductor plates.

3. An electric igniter comprising a pair of conductor plates each having a slot therethrough, an insulator having side walls with securing portions extending therefrom, Teach of said securing portions having top and bottom walls with recessed portions adjacent to 'saidinsulato'r side walls, said conductor plates positioned in spaced relation to each other with said insulator therebetween, said insulator side Wall securing portions extending through said conductor plate slots with said conductor plates abt'rt'ti'ng said insulator side walls, portions-of said conductor plates adjacent to said slots being bent so that said conductor plates extend into said recessed portions thereby securing said conductor plates to said insulator securing portions, an igniter coil connected to said conductor plates, and electrical conduits connected to each of said conductor plates and operable to energize said igniter coil through said conductor plates.

4. An electric igniter comprising a pair of conductor plates each having a longitudinal slot therethrough, said slot being oilset toward the lower portion of. said conductor plate to form a deformable lower edge portion, an insulator having side walls with securing portions extending longitudinally therefrom, each of said securing portions having top and bottom walls with recessed portions extending longitudinally thereon adjacent to said insulator side walls, said conductor plates positioned in spaced relation to each other with said insulator therebetween, said insulator side wall securing portions extending through said conductor plate slots with said conductor plates abutting said insulator side walls, said conductor plate deformable lower edge portions being bent upwardly so that said conductor plates extend into said recessed portions thereby securing said conductor plates to said insulator securing portions, an igniter coil connected to said conductor plates, and electrical conduits connected to each of said conductor plates and operable to energize said igniter coil through said conductor plates.

5. An electric igniter adapted to be positioned on a pilot burner having a support bracket with a pilot burner housing extending therefrom, a thermocouple housing extending from said support bracket in spaced parallel relation to said pilot burner housing, said electric igniter comprising a pair of conductor plates each having a longitudinal slot therethrough, an insulator member of non-conducting material having side walls, a bottom wall, and a front wall, said side walls having securing portions extending longitudinally therefrom, each of said securing portions having top and bottom walls with recessed portions extending longitudinally thereon adjacent to said insulator side walls, said insulator member having a cylindrical bore therethrough with its longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the vertical axis of said front wall and operable to receive said thermocouple housing, said conductor plates positioned in spaced parallel relation to each other with said insulator member therebetween, said side wall securing portions extending through said plate member longitudinal slots with said conductor plates abutting said insulator side walls, portions of said plate members adjacent to said slots being bent so that said conductor plates extend into said recessed portions thereby securing said plate members to said insulator securing portions, 'an igniter coil connected to each of said conductor plates adjacent to said insulator front wall, said insulator bottom wall positioned in abutting relation with said pilot burner support bracket, said insulator front wall abutting said .pilot burner housing and said thermocouple extending through said insulator bore thereby positioning said electric igniter in operative relation on said pilot burner, and electrical conduits connected to each of said plate members and operable to energize said igniter coil through said contact plates.

6. An electric igniter adapted to be positioned on a pilot burner assembly having a support bracket with a top wall and an end wall, a cylindrical pilot burner housing extending from said top wall substantially normal thereto, a cylindrically shaped thermocouple extending from said top wall in spaced parallel relation to said pilot bur'ne'r housing; said electric igniter comprising a pair of conductor plates each having a longitudinal slot thereth'rough, said slots being offset toward the lower portion of said conductor plate to form a deformable lower edge portion, said conductor plates having recessed portions adjacent to said slot opposite ends and adjacent to said conductor plate lower edge portion, an insulator member of non-conducting material having side walls, a bottom wall and a curved front wall, said side walls having securing portions extending longitudinally therefrom, each of said securing portions having top and bottom walls with recessed portions extending longitudinally thereon and adjacent to said insulator side walls, said insulator member having a cylindrical bore therethrough with its longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the vertical axis of said front wall, said bore being adapted to receive said thermocouple housing, said conductor plates positioned in spaced parallel relation to each other with said insulator member therebetween, said side wall securing portions extending through said conductor plate longitudinal slots with said conductor plates abutting said insulator side walls, said conductor plate deformable lower edge portions adjacent to said plate recessed portions being bent upwardly so that said conductor plates extend into said insulator securing recessed portions thereby securing said conductor plates to said insulator member, an igniter coil connected to said plates between said pilot burner housing and said thermocouple housing, said insulator bottom wall positioned in abutting relation with said support bracket top wall, said insulator curved front wall abutting said pilot burner cylindrical housing and said thermocouple extending through said insulator bore thereby positioning said electric igniter in operative relation on said pilot burner, a clip member having a body portion with a clip arm extending therefrom, said body portion being secured to said insulator member bottom Wall, said clip arm resiliently engaging said bracket side wall thereby securing said electric igniter to said pilot burner assembly, and electrical conduits connected to each of said conductor plates and operable to energize said igniter coil through said conductor plates.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 961,681 Cole June 14, 1910 1,708,408 Ayotte Apr. 9, 1929 2,384,797 Cerny Sept. 18, 1945 

